Former porn actress makes new start as Chandler mom

Walking into an insurance agency, you would never guess the receptionist with soft porcelain skin and wavy long blonde hair is a single mom who made a small fortune as a star in the world of video and online pornography.

To her friends and family, she is Crystal Hayden,22, a loving Chandler mom and a aspiring professional photographer. On pornographic websites and films, she was Madison Scott for four years until last year.

Hayden was 17 when she gave birth to Cadence, now 4. A year later, she entered the world of online and video pornography in order to support her baby and raise money to go to college.

She said she never had anticipated how far her porn career would go. She began modeling and starring in adult films and quickly shot to one of the top tiers of porn actresses, earning approximately $1 million over the past four years.

But Hayden ultimately decided her fame and earnings came at too great a cost.

"The money ends up being spent on medical bills to pay for all the health problems you get from sleeping with so many people, drugs, pills, and alcohol to numb the pain, and lavish material items that make you feel a temporary high and happiness," said Hayden, who asked that her current employer not be identified. "In the end, you realize the only thing that matters is love, friends, and family."

Hayden and her two siblings were raised in Chandler without a mother and that she was determined not to let Cadence grow up the same way.

"I have always taken care of Cadence, but before, I was worrying about her and everyone else," she said. "Now, I am just focused on us. We are a team."

Last year, she went from a somewhat glamorous life as a porn star to the life of an average single mom.

"It sounds weird, but I've never been happier," Hayden said. "Before I was having fun and I was happy most of the time, but now I'm happy all the time."

A few months ago, Hayden quit the business and filed for divorce. Her soon-to-be ex-husband, Cadence's father, lives in Utah.

Hayden no longer runs Madison Scott's production company in Los Angeles. She plans on working her way through college and earning a doctorate before her 30th birthday. She also wants to open a mainstream media and photography business in the Southeast Valley.

Living in a three-bedroom/two-bath apartment, she is a receptionist and marketing representative at an insurance agency and began attending a Christian center, where she says she has turned her life over to God.

Her sister, Sara, says she's proud of her conversion. "I'm proud of her. She's doing what she needs to do to take care of her daughter first. . . . I've never seen her be so successful," Sara Hayden said.

Hayden and Cadence still deal with consequences of Madison Scott. When parents of a child in Cadence's class recognized Hayden, they made it clear their child was never to have a play-date with her.

"It's sad," Hayden said. "Many people are quick to judge me and think they know me, but they're afraid to admit the reason they recognize me is because they watched my work."

Hayden plans to tell Cadence about Madison Scott before someone else does, but for now she just wants to be a good role model for her daughter. Having graduated high school at 16, she wants to teach Cadence how to be a strong, independent, intelligent woman.

"You can't just use your body; you have to use your brain, too. The one thing no one can ever take away from you is your education," Hayden said.